Letters to the editor - 7/20/02

July 20, 2002

God comes first

To the editor:

I am very upset with all this darn foolishness about the pledge to the flag. I say send them over to Yasser Arafat, and the same goes for the ACLU. I'll bet they would change their tune pretty quick. The same goes for that bunch of nincompoops in Frederick arguing about the Ten Commandments. I am tired of hearing about those people who do not respect our forefathers who fought for our freedom to worship God and our freedoms.

That judge in California needs to be kicked out. People in California need to be careful who they elect and remember God comes first.

Bob Borngesser said in his commentary that isn't it funny how during an election year the politicians know where their bread is buttered. Oh yes, one other thing, about abortion: God will punish the right ones when the time comes, "for his own glory."

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Mary M. Miller

Clear Spring

Too much acceptance

To the editor:

I knew it was only a matter of time. Once society accepted homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle, it wouldn't be long before the psychiatric establishment would start lobbying for pedophilia to be considered an "affliction." (Re: Herald-Mail article by Thrity Umrigar, "For children's sake", Friday, July 5.)

Once society gets used to the idea the psychiatrists Berlin and others are pushing, that pedophilia is "an illness," it won't be long before we will be pushed to accept pedophilia as an alternative lifestyle. Getting up in the morning is a choice, selecting the clothes we will wear for the day is a choice. Everything we do or do not do is a choice we must make every day.

Some decisions are harder to make than the ones stated. However, to exclude the moral implications of our decisions is to move a society toward existentialism, and from there to a self-destructive society. Make no mistake, the article titled "For children's sake" is not for the children, but for the sake of the pedophiles.

Arthur George

Saint Thomas, Pa.

Pete Wright was a blessing

To the editor:

Like so many people in the Tri-State area and beyond, I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Pete Wright on this past June 17.

A flood of fond Pete Wright memories filled my head in the days that followed. Sharing these feelings of appreciation for Pete's life with his many friends and family members at memorial gatherings compelled me to write this letter.

Pete Wright was a great "giver." In the world where "takers" far outnumber "givers," Pete was a glowing example of what positive things can occur when caring people try to put something back into their community.

In conversation with Terry Blake, a long-time friend of mine from the sport of long-distance running, we came to a unanimous consensus on how our lives were so indelibly marked during the 1970s by Pete and the other founding fathers of Hagerstown's Run For Fun Club. Baker and I - both well into our 40s now - reminisced about our influential teenage days when the likes of Pete Wright, Gary Naugle, Bill Jackson, Giles Fike and others gave their time and personal resources to help young people like ourselves establish and then chase our athletic dreams.

With very little financial means of our own in those days, we would often tell our older mentors that someday we'd pay them back with steak dinners or some other token of our appreciation. But their responses to our future offers were always crystal clear: "Don't worry about us, do something for the generation that follows you."

Pete, we've never forgotten the message that you and the other HRFFC leaders gave us. For those of us who watched you give of yourself for decades at track, cross country and road race events, we will be forever inspired to give something backby your selfless example.

In my opinion, the ultimate compliment that can be paid to a human being is to assess that the world is a better place because of the time that they spent here. Be assured the world is a much better place because of the 65 years we were blessed to have Pete Wright.